Biographies

Anita Yiannoullou (Chair)

Length of service as Governor or involvement with Hornsey School for Girls and committee responsibilities:

Anita is a Co-opted Governor and has been on the Board since November 2012. She is a member of the Site and Curriculum Committees. She has 2 young daughters, both at Hornsey School for Girls.

Background:

Anita is a marketing professional with over 15 years experience in the professional, health and fitness, sport in the community and not for profit sectors. Experience includes: Board consultation; brand development; customer relationship management; new product development; internal and external communications; event development, and building successful teams.

For the last 10 years Anita has been the Company Director for Sanjuro Training Systems Ltd, offering accessible martial art based fitness classes to all ages and abilities of people across London’s diverse communities.

Personal interest in Hornsey School for Girls:

Anita, lives locally to Hornsey School for Girls and has always lived in North London. She attended a girls’ school in the neighbouring borough of Islington in the 1980s and now has both daughters at the school and wants to be actively involved in improving the education experience for everyone.

Local interest:

In her spare time Anita is an active member of local community projects to get more people active.

Vision for the future of Hornsey School for Girls:

I became a parent governor so that I could help in any way I can to ensure that every girl leaves Hornsey School for Girls with the confidence, knowledge and skills to achieve the goals they set themselves in life.

Parent Governors

Jon Marks

Length of service as Governor or involvement with Hornsey School for Girls and committee responsibilities:

Jon has been a Governor at Hornsey School for Girls for seven years and represents the parents’ perspective on the Governing Body.

Background:

Jon has worked for all his adult life in a range of manual and management jobs. He has extensive experience sitting on Supplementary Benefits Appeal Tribunals as well as a previous member of the panel for Industrial Tribunals. He has recently retired after a career of 40 years working for Network Rail and its predecessor companies. His most recent management experience involved managing performance and signallers. Prior to that he was a Health and Safety Instructor.

Personal interest in Hornsey School for Girls:

Having had three daughters attend Hornsey; Jon felt that the communication between school and parents left a lot to be desired and it was his aim to improve it.

Local interest:

Since taking office seven years ago Jon has taken a keen interest in many local issues surrounding the school including meetings with community partners including local resident neighbours. Jon has chaired many internal Disciplinary and Appeals panels which deal with both pupils and staff. Most recently he has chaired the Head Teacher’s Performance Committee.

Vision for the future of Hornsey School for Girls:

Things are changing rapidly in the world of secondary education. The advent of Free schools and Academies has posed serious challenges for the school’s ability to recruit girls from across the whole community. Curriculum and financial changes are also being forced on schools which continue to have the potential to impact adversely on our performing arts ethos.

We need a clear focus on how we wish to adapt to these changes without losing sight of our primary aim; giving our girls a first rate education which will prepare them for the challenges that grown-4up life demands. My vision is that we can provide our young women with a sharp and critical mind which they can use to steer their way through all of life’s challenges.

Dee Buchanan

Length of service as Governor or involvement with Hornsey School for Girls and committee responsibilities:

Dee joined Hornsey School for Girls as a Parent Governor in October 2013; and has been involved with the school for over 10 years. She is the link Governor for CPSHE, SEN, Dance and Drama, is also a member of the Staffing and Curriculum Committee and has served on the Governing body as a parent Governor and a co-operative for both my daughters.

Background:

Dee has over 20 years experience in education with 10 years teaching. She is a PSHE accredited teacher and has co-ordinated and led school Drugs Education and Sex and Relationship Education (SRE). Dee is passionate about education and having ran her own voluntary organisation Just Parents as an advocate and advisor for parents and children in collaboration with schools and Local authorities and has been nationally accredited to lead and teach SRE.

Personal interest in Hornsey School for Girls:

Both of Dee's daughters attended Hornsey School for Girls, and she is a strong supporter of girls education and wants to be involved in supporting the school in raising awareness about the benefits and advantages of female education.

Local/Community interest:

Dee has worked and supported local community initiatives for young people, and women and currently volunteers for St Joseph's Hopice.

Why I chose to be a Governor:

I chose to be a Governor because I want to contribute my knowledge and skills to help young girls achieve.

Co-opted Governors

Jane de Swiet

Length of service as Governor or involvement with Hornsey School for Girls.

Jane was appointed initially as an LEA governor in 2013 and was co-opted when the governor body was restructured, serving on the Staffing Committee and Curriculum committees.

Work Background:

Jane is a retired headteacher of The Henrietta Barnett School, a girls' school in the London borough of Barnet, where she chaired the Association of Maintained Girls' Schools. Having subsequently worked as an advisor to governing bodies on the assessment of headteachers in a wide variety of schools, Jane has been a governor of a local primary as well as secondary schools.

Local/Community interest:

A local resident for most of the last 45 years and live close to Crouch End, Jane has chaired Open Door in Crouch End and currently serves on the Education Committee at Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution.

Personal interest in Hornsey School for Girls:

Jane has spent her working life dedicated to providing the highest quality of education for young women, raising their expectations and to opening up opportunities for all. She is committed to supporting those who are continuing to do the same and is proud to be able to serve as a governor at Hornsey Girls'.

I welcomed the opportunity to use the expertise acquired as a headteacher and governor in a local girls' school. For me schools remain exciting places, full of hope for the future, where I learn as much as I give. It is a great privilege to be able to work as part of the team at Hornsey Girls' with such an inspiring headteacher and staff and such an ambitious governing body.

Karen Christie

Length of service as Governor or involvement with Hornsey School for Girls and committee responsibilities:

Karen has been on the board since 1999 originally recruited as a parent governor; she is now a Community Governor. During this period she was Chair for 8 years. She is a member of the Site and Finance Committees and is Link Governor for Looked After Children.

Background:

After studying Applied Biology at the South Bank Polytechnic Karen eventually ended up in social Housing. As a Housing Manager she was involved in the regeneration programme and sustainability strategy for a housing estate in Hackney. She was also a Company Director for a youth organisation providing youth activities for children on the estate.

Today Karen is a carer for her mother and advocates for and supports 2 families as well as working as a Midday Team Leader at a primary school.

Vision for the future of Hornsey School for Girls:

I would like to see Hornsey School for Girls go from strength to strength and for our girls to develop in their knowledge, confidence, reasoning, self worth and determination prepared and ready for the next stage after Hornsey.

Marnie Caton

Length of service as Governor or involvement with Hornsey School for Girls and committee responsibilities:

Marnie originally joined Hornsey’s governing body as a parent governor 13 years ago and has been a community governor for about 8 years. She is Chair of Finance and a member of the Steering group; and is link governor for the sixth form.

Background:

She is Chair of Finance and a member of the Steering group; and is link governor for the sixth form. Trained as a planner, she has worked in a number of different roles in local government in London, as well as in private consultancy and economic research. She is currently head of a data and ICT team in Children’s Services in Islington.

Vision for the future of Hornsey School for Girls:

I want to contribute to Hornsey School for Girls becoming an outstanding school for all the girls who go there now and will in the future.

Adam Coffman

Length of service as Governor or involvement with Hornsey School for Girls.

Since February 2016 – 1 year 3 months

Committee Responsibilities:

Chair of Site Committee

Member of Staffing Committee and Fundraising Committee

Link Governor for Performing and Creative Arts

Work Background:

After graduating I spent several years making documentaries and factual programmes for channels including the BBC and Channel 4. Since 2000 I have been a transport consultant specialising in cycling policy and promotion. For the last 9 years I have worked in Parliament as the co-ordinator of a cross party group which challenges the Government on current cycling policy.

Local/Community interest:

For the last 15 years I have been actively involved in several local school and community groups, with the main focus of encouraging people to be more active. I set-up projects to encourage young people to cycle, play cricket and tennis and I was also involved in the regeneration of two local parks.

Personal interest in Hornsey School for Girls:

My eldest daughter is in Year 9 and youngest daughter is starting at Hornsey in September 2017

Why I chose to be a Governor:

Hornsey’s diverse student body, dedicated staff and amazing campus are a recipe for a unique school that is on the cusp of being outstanding. As a Governor I am excited to be working with staff who share this vision.

Justin Guest

Length of service as Governor or involvement with Hornsey School for Girls and committee responsibilities:

Justin has been a governor at Hornsey since December 2016, working with the Finance and Site Committee.

Work Background:

Background in environmental finance. Specialist in climate change and spending a great deal of time working internationally financing clean energy projects. Currently focussing on the development of solar projects in the UK having just successfully financed the development of 15MW of UK solar project across the country.

Local / Community interest:

Strong community focus, organising local Play Street events, guerrilla gardening as part of the Friends of the Harringay Passage and a member of the a Harringay focused community group, Ladder Community Safety partnership, chair of a group focusing on traffic related issues.

Personal interest in Hornsey School for Girls:

Justin's daughter currently attends Hornsey School for Girls.

Why I chose to be a Governor:

I have benefited personally from education, as a result of the investment others have made in me. Being a governor and sharing some of my time, skills and experience, and supporting the school in their continued efforts to give our children an education that will allow them to succeed in their lives, is a way for me to repay this investment.